


The Science of Magic

by NaughtyBees



Category: Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Fairy AU, Fluff, Gen, Graphic depictions of failed logic, Macro/Micro, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-16
Packaged: 2019-04-01 05:31:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13991505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NaughtyBees/pseuds/NaughtyBees
Summary: Arcade is shocked when he finds a fairy in his garden and nurses him back to health, then tries to apply reason and logic to the magical world the fairy belongs to.





	The Science of Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this to keep the little grey cells fresh since I've had super bad writer's block

Arcade stirred his coffee as he read the Latin poetry book he’d purchased the day before. There was a bookshop around the corner from his house and the old lady there always gave him a discount considering he finished a book every few days. New book smell was his favourite. 

The doctor sat beneath the oak tree in his garden, a metal table and chair set up so he could enjoy the sounds of the garden; the soft chirps of the birds, the buzz of the busy bees, the leaves rustling pleasantly. He thumbed through the book, softly enunciating words to himself. It was days like this, still and effortless, that he liked to be with himself. No work, no stress, no company. 

A noise made him jump slightly as a black shape fell from the sky and into the grass. He looked to see a large crow, squawking loudly, attacking something in the grass. The thing was screaming and Arcade leapt to his feet, rushing over and brandishing his book. “Hey! Tsst! Get out of here!” He frightened the crow away, frowning. Although he knew it needed to eat, he didn't see why the bird needed to prey on the wildlife in his garden. He'd be miffed if a frog or vole was disemboweled in his rose bushes. 

Arcade was about to turn back to his table when he looked down, a splash of colour in the green grass catching his eye. Intending to look closer, he leant down, head tilted. There, laying still and bloody, was what looked like a tiny man. Upon closer inspection, Arcade spotted two spindly wings coming from the tiny man’s back. They were badly ripped in no condition for flight. Although the absolute shock and astonishment of finding a fucking fairy made him pause a moment, Arcade realised the longer he spent being shocked, the worse this thing’s condition was going to get. 

His fingers worked their way beneath the tiny creature, the doctor’s breath hitched in his throat as he realised how delicate it was. One wrong move might pulverise it. He hurried back to the house, the tiny body cradled in his palm, clutched close to his chest. 

Arcade’s study was very messy, he had a lot of medical research on the go, but he made a space on his desk, setting up what he needed. His medical kit, his magnifying glass and a jar just in case the creature woke up. It was mean but he didn't want his patient making an escape. When he looked through the magnifying glass at the wings, he cringed slightly. The delicate tissue was torn, leaving scraps hanging from stumps. He decided to treat the rest of the fairy first, turning it over in his fingers. 

The first thing he noticed was the expression. This fairy had a scowl even when unconscious. It made Arcade worry that perhaps fairies had magic. Hopefully this one would understand his situation. He had to rip his shirt to remove it, as easy as tissue paper, exposing the fairy’s chest. It was taut and muscled, beginning to bruise in places, and bleed where it had crusted to the shirt. He was very quick to clean him with sterile wipes, using small bandage strips to dress his wounds, making doubly sure he hadn't missed anything, or that nothing was broken. 

Next came the wings. Not an easy fix but Arcade had a quick solution. He took a butterfly display case that a friend had given him from the wall, prying it open and looking inside. Humming, he picked out a butterfly that seemed the same size as the fairy and took it to the table. As he sat, he noticed that the fairy was twitching, about to come to. There wasn't a lot he could do to make the fairy comfortable, he didn't know how you could make such a small creature comfortable in such a big place. Especially with no wings. 

Arcade placed the jar over the fairy and waited, watching as it sat, groggy and clearly in pain. It looked around with confusion, face melting into pure fear as it spotted Arcade through the clear glass. It turned, beginning to slam against the side of the jar, hitting it with soft tinks like a moth on a window. “Hey, stop, it's okay. I saved you from that crow.” Arcade made sure the jar didn't fall, watching the tiny man with curiosity. “I patched up your wounds, see?” 

The fairy looked down at himself, clearly remembering what had just happened. He still pressed himself against the glass of the jar, looking at Arcade with a dark scowl, looking around for an escape. 

“Here's the situation. That crow took your wings off. Do they grow back?” Arcade asked, waiting until he received a head shake before proceeding. “I'm going to operate. I'm a doctor, don't worry. It will be hard since you're so small but, you know, ex nihilo nihil fit.” He put his hand on top of the jar. “Now, you can't try run away. I won't hurt you.” As he lifted the jar, he was ready to grab the fairy if he needed to. However, the tiny man simply stood there, that ever present scowl directed at Arcade. 

The doctor laid the fairy down on his stomach, trying not to become too fascinated just yet. He had time for that later. The butterfly wings he had were the perfect size for the fairy and he placed a forefinger between the wispy stumps that protruded from his back, positioning them. “There you go… Now, just stay still like that. This might sting a little.” He put a thin film of glue over the wing stump and touched the butterfly wing to it, holding it firmly so the glue had a chance to take. “You won't be able to fly for a few hours while the glue dries but I'm happy to let you stay for a little while. That is, if you want. I know I'm not exactly good company but it’s better than having your entrails eaten by birds.” As he glued the other wing, he watched the fairy breathe, a little fascinated as he thought about the anatomy of this creature. As soon as the notion of dissection crossed his mind, he dismissed it, mentally scolding himself. 

Once the glue seemed to be working, Arcade pushed the magnifying glass out of the way, smiling down at the fairy. “My best work, if I do say so myself. Try not to press your wings together, the glue is still wet. And don't flap too much. But tell me what you think.” He pulled a compact mirror from a drawer, holding it for the tiny man to see his reflection.  
He seemed pleased at least, turning from side to side, looking at the iridescent blue where there was once wispy violet. They were even and quite pretty, the undersides being the only place the stumps and glue were visible. “I once fixed a butterfly when I was a boy. She’d been bitten by the neighbour’s cat so I used my father’s Victorian antique specimen collection to fix her. He was none too pleased.” Arcade swore he saw a smirk. “She survived though. I saw her for two years after that, one wing red, one white.”

“Kind of you.”

Arcade blinked, smile turning to a wide grin. “So you do talk! Fancy that! Here I was thinking I'd found the perfect conversation partner!” He began to clean his desk, putting everything away. “I'm Arcade, by the way. Arcade Gannon. Do you have a name?” 

“Craig.”

Arcade laughed incredulously. “You- what? Fairies are called Craig?” 

“This one is.” The tiny man didn't seem offended, his weight shifting as he folded his arms. “Though people call me Boone.” 

“I'd much rather call you Craig. And not because the absurdity amuses me.” He stood, stretching before setting down a hand for Boone. “Here. Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you.”

There was a slight moment of hesitation, millenia of prey instinct perhaps, but soon he climbed into Arcade’s palm, sitting down. “So, are there more fairies in my garden? Do I need to buy some special wing adhesive?” 

Boone huffed near silently. “Not supposed to let humans see us. But..." He looked back at his wings, sighing quietly as he realised he was in Arcade's debt. “The forest.”  
There was a large wooded area beyond Arcade’s fence, the trees thick as they led down to a brook at the bottom of a slope. It always seemed the likely spot for some sort of magic. 

“Don't worry.” Arcade carried Boone toward the kitchen, smiling down at him. “I'm not the type to drop in on someone unexpected. That's very rude. Even ruder if you consider I'd basically be like Godzilla in a place full of little fairies.” He looked through his fridge, humming. “What do fairies even eat?” 

Boone shrugged. “Fruit. Bugs. Nectar. Mice.”

Arcade smiled as he picked out one or two things. “I suppose you make do with what you have, hm? Though I don't think I'll try mice any time soon.” He moved Boone to his shoulder, his hands quick as he made a sandwich and a miniature version of a sandwich. He then made a cup of tea for himself and filled a tube cap with tea for the fairy. “So how do fairies come to be? Are you born or is it that first laugh of a baby thing?” 

Boone snorted as he ate. “No. It is magic but not that. If a butterfly or moth gets too close to a magic lay line they pupate. Turn into a baby fairy. Pupa are harvested at the full moon and cared for.” 

Arcade’s eyes widened as he thought of tiny baby fairies being hatched under the soft light of a full moon. He desperately wanted to see that. “That's so much better than the baby laugh thing. I mean, for one, that theory ties your existence to humans. A little narcissistic if you ask me.” He set down the food and settled at the table, letting Boone walk down his arm to pick up his food. “And what are your societies like? Is it all dancing and things like that?” 

“Work heavy. Lots of chores to do.”

Arcade swallowed his bite of sandwich. “What job do you do then?” 

Boone sat on the side of the plate, looking up at Arcade. “I defend the hollow. Bowman. I'm a damn good aim too.”

“I'll make sure not to get on your bad side then.” Arcade smiled, sitting back once he finished his sandwich, sipping his tea. He watched Boone drink his, little finger lifting reflexively. “How do you know to do that?” 

Boone looked at his finger. “Little girl next door. Tea parties.” When he saw Arcade’s expression, he rolled his eyes. “We're randomly allotted a child to visit at some point or another. Children need someone sometimes. Even if it's a fairy.” 

Arcade nodded. “I can get that. Fairies and kids, hm?” He drained his tea and looked at Boone with a smile  
“Can I ask you a few questions? About your physiology?”  
When he received a nod, he smiled. “How fragile are you? You look very delicate.”

Boone shrugged. “Wings are the most fragile. We can handle stress.”

Arcade hummed, leaning close and carefully taking Boone’s leg between his fingers. He was careful, increasing the pressure between them until Boone winced slightly. “That's incredible. Your bones should take a lot less pressure than that. I wonder if they're reinforced somehow? With a naturally occurring mineral perhaps? Although you might have hollow bones to allow for better flight. Do you know at all?” 

Folding his arms, Boone looked at his leg between Arcade’s fingers. “No. Why would it matter?” 

Arcade was careful, looking for discomfort or disgruntlement as he pressed a thumb to Boone’s ribcage, inspecting him. “Frankly, I think the pursuit of discovery and education matters more than most things in the world. What could be more important than learning about yourself and others?”

“Survival.” Boone popped his jaw slightly as Arcade felt his hands between his fingertips. “Family. The environment.”

Arcade shrugged and nodded, retracting his hand. “Scientific advancement can help with all of those… what I wouldn't give to talk to more of you. Conduct some interviews, some tests maybe - oh, nothing harmful, don't worry.” He added, seeing Boone’s unease. “Scientifically and medically speaking, you're a golden opportunity. Do you think you'd be able to show me where you live?”

Huffing and standing, Boone shook his head. “I could but…Fairies hate humans. They won't trust you at all. It'll be hard to get them to even come out.”

Arcade smiled and stood, presenting his palm to Boone. Scientific advancement was on his doorstep and he was terribly excited. “Well, you know what they say. Nil volentibus arduum.” He said as he went to get his research supplies. 

oOo

The closer Arcade got to the hollow in the forest, the more uneasy he became. There was an energy in the air that made his hair stand on end and he tread lightly through the undergrowth, feeling Boone’s wings tickling his ear. He paused for a moment, taking something from his bag. “I never thought I'd need this. My friend got me it. It's an EMF meter, it detects ghosts.” He pushed his glasses up with his fingertips. “Well, more specifically, it detects fields emitted by moving electrically charged objects.” He looked sideways, seeing Boone’s confusion. “I'm not an expert on quantum mechanics by any stretch but this should help. This, and my particle detector, could come in handy to see if this magic you talked about is in any way detectable, tangible and, in fact, real.”

Boone scoffed slightly as Arcade continued, a meter in each hand. “It is real.”

Arcade smiled, getting ever closer to the hollow. “I don't believe in anything that isn't a posteriori. Based on empirical evidence.” 

The particle detector in his hand began clicking at the same time the EMF meter began to whirr. A little startled, Arcade took a step back, the devices going quiet. He stepped forward again, listening to them make their respective noises. “There should be a gradual increase… but its so sudden. Fascinating…”

Boone stood up, gripping Arcade’s ear tight. “Magic lay line. Just here. It's the outer one. Makes most humans turn back. But you're with me, you're the exception. Humans would destroy us.”

Arcade smiled. “Thank you for letting me come here. I know people can be cruel. Condemnant quod non intellegunt.” He felt the sudden urge to turn and walk away when he reached the edge of the treeline. There was a large oak in the centre, full of carved holes, doors and windows. The ground was lush and green with grass and moss and flowers, the entire place verdant and frankly beautiful. 

“Let me talk to them first.” Boone mumbled motioned to be set down and Arcade complied, putting him on the ground and rummaging through his bag. He snapped a few photos and wrote notes as Boone walked toward the tree, disappearing into it for a moment. 

There was a moment of unsettling silence before a voice caught his attention. “Psst, hey, mister!” He turned to see something bright and glittery on a tree branch nearby. He blinked a few times, pulling his glasses down his nose to see, smiling softly when he saw the smallest little fairy child sat there, looking at him with awe and curiosity.”You're not here to stomp us, are you?” 

Arcade shook his head. “Of course not. Boone got attacked by a crow so I healed him and brought him back.” He marvelled at how tiny this child was, eyes widening as the little thing took flight, wings a beautiful blue blur behind them, sparkling in the air like falling glitter as they approached. 

“What have you got in the bag?” They asked, skirting around him as if worried he would hurt them but still willing to risk it. 

Arcade knelt, wanting to appear as unthreatening as possible (a problem he'd never actually had before). He took some things from the bag, showing the fairy child who perched on the side of it. “Here's some technology, some notes, some food I brought, a first aid kit…” He showed the child his camera. “Do you know what this is?” 

“Nuh uh.”

Arcade lifted it and took a picture of the fairy, making sure the flash was off. “This takes what you looks like and instantly puts it into a picture.” He turned the camera around, the little child gasping happily as they saw themselves on the screen. “You can have cameras that see closer and better than your eyes can, even cameras that see in heat rather than colour.”

When Boone came back, there was another fairy following him. This one was harsh looking, a strange military hairstyle and pointed face, his clothes a lot more decadent than the other two fairies he had seen. “So, this is the human… I hear you healed and returned our soldier to us.” The fairy frowned. “Just so you know, there are fifty poison tipped arrows trained on you. One wrong move, that's all it takes. Now, tell me what you want from us.”

Arcade gulped slightly, looking around at the tree. “Yes, sir.” He very slowly put his things back in his bag. “I'm simply here to sate my curiosity. I'm a man of science, and this place is beautiful, and incredibly interesting from a scientific standpoint. I'm simply here to observe.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, looking at Boone. The stocky fairy didn't seem worried. “If you're worried about secrecy, I'm happy to leave my recording equipment here. It's not as if anyone would believe a written account.”

The fairy in charge put his hands on his hips, scowling at Arcade. “How do we know we can trust you? Humans aren't exactly beacons of moral value.”

Arcade smirked. “You don't have to tell me that, I already know.” He put his hand over his heart. “But you have my word. I won't hurt or exploit you, I'll keep you and your secrets safe. Parva sub ingenti.”

“...What?” 

Boone shook his head. “He does that sometimes, your grace.”

Arcade laughed softly. “It's Latin. ‘The small under the large’ literally, but it means even though I'm physically larger than you, I don't consider you to be inferior, I see you as equal and worthy of my protection if needs be.” He explained. “I'll try stick to English from now on though.”

The regal fairy nodded. “Well, I suppose the phrasing is a little weird, but I appreciate the sentiment. Now, you have one chance. Don't blow it. If you sit beneath the beech tree, I'll tell my subjects not to fear you. Don't take any indisputable evidence back with you.” 

Arcade beamed, excited at the prospect of seeing into the lives of these fairies. “Yes, sir!” He smiled and took only his notebook, EMF meter and particle detector. When he sat, he began to write, describing everything around him from the strange sensations he could feel in the air to the smell of citrus and the air after a lightening strike. 

Boone walked over, letting himself be picked up and sat on Arcade’s lap. “Happy?” 

Arcade nodded. “Extremely! Thank you for this.” He pressed a finger to Boone’s back, feeling his wings. “Hm, the glue is dry. You can test them out if you like.” 

Boone gave the wings a small test flap before beginning to flutter them hard, shooting upward quicker than he anticipated. He grunted and righted himself, getting used to the feeling of different wings. “Pretty good.”

Arcade inhaled and blew on him a little, seeing the ghost of a smile on his face as he flapped harder to keep from being blown away. “They look sturdy enough. You can always come for a touch up if you need me to fix them again.”

Boone sat on his shoulder as a few dozen specks of colour appeared around the large oak tree. They sparkled in the evening light, being tentative but eventually coming closer as Arcade watched them. Each fairy was a different colour, all beautiful and dainty, extremely apprehensive of he who was large and clumsy. Boone tugged his earlobe, leaning a little closer. “By the way, don't eat anything you're offered. Seems impolite, I know, but if you eat our food, you'll be stuck here.” 

Arcade’s glasses reflected the sparkles of light floating in the breeze, glowing against leaves and bark as the sun set. Although it was darker, the light didn't fade, even Boone glowed a soft white, a soft warmth coming from him. “Honestly, I wouldn't mind being stuck here.”

A fairy landed on his knee, a woman, her face bright with a smile. When she opened her wings, Arcade gasped softly. She had one red wing and one white wing. He remembered what Boone had said about how butterflies became fairies after flying across magic lay lines. “I know you!” Arcade smiled widely. “You're the butterfly I fixed when I was a kid.”

The woman nodded. “You've grown up a lot, Arcade. You were a really skinny child. I didn't think you'd be so tall!” 

Arcade scoffed. “You should see me standing up.” He reached behind her, fingertips brushing her wings, pleased when she didn't flinch. “What's your name?”

“Veronica!” She flapped her wings against Arcade’s fingers, suddenly hopping up to sit on them. He brought her to his face, inspecting her with a smile. “Did you fix Boone’s wings too?” 

Arcade nodded. “Probably a better job than yours but I was only eight back then.” He remembered the scolding he'd received from his father and decided it was very much worth it. “I can't believe you actually survived.” 

With a laugh like the patter of rain on a leaf, Veronica shook her head. “You did perfectly.And thank you!” 

As more fairies crowded around Arcade, he had to hold still, feeling their curious touches on his skin, their fluttering wings as they grew more confident. Arcade smiled as a few of the children landed on his head, giggling as they played hide and seek in his hair. He slowly picked up his particle detector and EMF meter, scanning the fairies around his lap. Each one seemed to have a concentrated amount of benign radiation and an electromagnetic field around them. Either that or they were completely scrambling his instruments. He noted everything down, his smile growing as a little girl fairy perched on his glasses, clearly having a fantastic time climbing his face. 

“Can I talk to someone about magic?” Arcade asked to nobody in particular. “I'm not exactly sure what it is. Or if it's real.”

One of them, an old man by the looks of him, came closer to him. “I wouldn't expect a human to know about magic but I'll tell you what it is. Magic is in everything. It's a force that influences everything in the world. We have more of a control over it than humans, just like humans can control electricity better than we can.”

Arcade wrote down everything he was saying, using the fairies as a light to see his paper. “And what exactly is it? How come my instruments all measure so high?”

The elder laughed. “Magic won't register on them, it will just make them read falsely. You can't measure it on any human machine. You can only feel it.”

Arcade recalled the feeling at the back of his neck when he entered the hollow, the strange energy prickling his skin. “So...there's no real science behind it? It's not quantifiable?” He frowned a little and sat back. “Well, that puts a damper on things.”

Boone pressed into Arcade’s cheek, hands against his skin. “Maybe this can be the one mystery you never solve.” He softly reassured him. 

Arcade shook his head. “No, everything has a logical explanation! Magic isn't logical…”

Boone thought for a moment before humming. “Maybe magic is the explanation for things happening rather than there being something that explains magic.”

Veronica waved her hands, a few flowers around Arcade blooming brightly. “Magic affects everything!” 

Arcade pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, no, magic doesn't cause flowers to bloom. It's a gene that triggers the reproductive development of a plant, telling it when it's time to start blossoming by generating the proteins that begin the flowing. It isn't magic.”

Veronica smiled, a little confused but still cheerful. “And why do you assume that isn't magic? That life isn't magic? Anyone can put together some body parts and try and make a person but it's the magic that makes them run!”

Arcade rubbed his face with a sigh. “Okay… nice to know that I know nothing. Thanks Socrates.”

Boone nudged him. “You can still be a part of it.” He mumbled. “You are part of it. Everyone has magic in them.”

Feeling the fairy children on his head threading flowers into his hair, Arcade looked around, seeing buds blooming beside him. Grass grew longer to touch him, the trees groaning as they reached lower to be closer to him. A small smile played on his thin lips and he looked sideways at Boone. “...Yeah, okay, I buy it.” Arcade looked up at the dark sky, the floating lights of fairies and fireflies lighting the entire hollow. “Magic is real. And it's beautiful.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like this fic? Want to see more Arcade and Boone being sweet? Check out my Resize Ray series!
> 
> https://archiveofourown.org/series/941007


End file.
